In general, airbag apparatuses, which are safety apparatuses having an airbag that is inflated by being supplied with gas from an inflator to protect an occupant at the time of a vehicle accident, are provided in a vehicle, and a driver airbag apparatus is provided as a representative airbag apparatus.
The driver airbag apparatus includes the inflator which generates gas, and an airbag which is connected with the inflator and inflated and deployed when the gas flows into the airbag to protect a driver.
A retainer for coupling the airbag to an airbag housing is disposed in the airbag. An inflator hole into which the inflator is inserted is formed in the retainer, such that when a head portion of the inflator is inserted into the inflator hole, and thereafter, the inflator and the retainer are fastened to the airbag housing by bolting, the airbag and the inflator are then coupled to the airbag housing.
The airbag of the driver airbag apparatus is folded and accommodated in an airbag housing disposed in a steering wheel, and the airbag is inflated and deployed while being unfolded when gas generated by the inflator flows into the airbag, thereby protecting the driver.
In this case, the airbag housing has various shapes in accordance with the type of steering wheel, and thus, an accommodating space of the airbag housing, which accommodates the airbag, also has various shapes.
Therefore, if the airbag of the driver airbag apparatus is folded to have a single shape and the airbag is folded and accommodated in the accommodating space of the airbag housing having various shapes, a vacant space is present between the accommodated airbag and the airbag housing, and as a result, the airbag cannot be normally deployed, and the abnormal deployment has an adverse effect on deployment performance of the airbag.